The number of Hong Kong and Macau students studying in Taiwan has increased by 50 percent since the Taiwan-Hong Kong Services and Exchanges Office opened in July, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) said yesterday.
Chen was responding to questions about the office at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee.
The office, established to support Hong Kongers after Beijing in June imposed new national security legislation in the territory, provides consultations and assistance for Hong Kongers seeking to study, work, invest or live in Taiwan.
Chen said he was not at liberty to disclose the exact number of Hong Kongers the office has helped, when asked by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷).
As of the end of last month, the office had received more than 1,600 telephone calls and e-mails asking for assistance, Chen said.
The office is next year to receive an additional NT$30 million (US$1.04 million) to offer the services, Chen said.
A total of 4,920 Hong Kong and Macau students applied to Taiwanese universities this year, including 4,097 from Hong Kong and 823 from Macau, Entrance Committee for Overseas Chinese Students data showed.
The number of enrolled students from the regions totaled 4,169 this year, including 3,505 from Hong Kong and 644 from Macau, up 47.1 percent from last year, the data showed.
Meanwhile, addressing Kinmen residents’ calls to resume the “three small links,” Chen said the council would consider doing so after the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.
The three links, which have been suspended by the council since February due to the pandemic, refers to commercial, transportation and postal exchanges between Kinmen, Matsu and China’s coastal cities.
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